I cant think of anything harder to bear than the loss of a loved one. To live at all, to engage with the world is to become open to this inevitable grief. One of the things that makes us human is our awareness of death - and our own mortality.

Living forever, when those around you will die, seems like hell to me. It's one thing to grow old yourself, to be part of the natural cycle of things, embracing your own mortality and awaiting the mystery that is death...but to watch those you love die, when you cannot follow them? Is it possible to endure that and still be human? If you had eternity to live, would you still seek relationships with mortals, knowing you will watch them age and fade?

We mortals can realistically expect to love people for all our lives, and that maybe they will love us that long in return. But when you have hundreds of years to endure, unchanging, can love survive that? Would immortal lovers tire of each other?

I would not want immortality. I think the costs far outweigh the possibilities. There are people I have little desire to outlive, but probably will because they are older than me. One human lifetime is enough. None the less, like many writers, I speculate about what eternal life might mean. I think it would be lonely, and difficult.

Over at www.loveyoudivine.com we're doing an Immortal anthology, and its been interesting seeing how other authors handle the issue. M King's story takes up the issue of what happens to your humanity in face of immortality, and Clare London explores the reluctance to live forever, and the cost. Add an undying element to one or more characters, and it changes so much else in a relationship, as Jaime Samms explores in her story. Sometimes, it's looking at what isn't human that really shows up the essence of what it means to be alive.